


Part 1: The AU Where Everyone But Sans Remembers This Time

by GhostApocalyptic



Series: Ghost's Really Long And Terrible UT Fanfics [1]
Category: Archived- Do Not Search
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 15:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15173432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostApocalyptic/pseuds/GhostApocalyptic
Summary: with live commentary as i copypaste this shit lmao





	1. Chapter 1.

**Author's Note:**

> i posted this one a long time ago but i didnt know how to fucking write in consistent viewpoint lol. im not gonna format this so its gonna be exactly how i copypaste it from the word doc

You were killing everyone again. It was a three-setting light switch of bad choices, save, kill, nothing, save, kill, nothing, save, kill, nothing. Today’s setting was kill. Everyone was dying by your hand.

You walk into the telescope room, the place you’d recognized so many times before as the moment where you’d have a Nice Cream and chat with some friends. However, this time, you didn’t see anyone. You were too busy killing and they all must’ve gotten away. Shame. It’d be a far more pleasant experience than what you knew would happen later on.

It’d be extremely painful, you guess. You’d know. It happens with every deletion. Of course, your pain tolerance is through the roof, but to a monster…

You kind of felt bad.

Anyways.

You strolled into a room, noticing the footprints in the sandy cave soil. They were deep, and fresh, with signs of running. You examined the writings on the wall where you knew Nice Cream flavors were written, and breathed outwards sharply as a sort of laugh. It was the only kind of laugh that didn’t hurt your lungs. It amused you that even in this timeline, that same guy was still hoping for the best. 

You turned around, beginning to head through the rest of the cave. You saw Sans in front of you, his hoodie up, obscuring the top portion of his face. You felt bad, but at the same time…

You were really happy to see something new for a change.

Sans, the guy you knew to just stand around until the end to actually get motivated to do something. What a surprise! Sans, the skeleton that procrastinated and did nothing because he knew everything was hopeless! Wonderful! Sans, the comedian that hated your guts so much right now.  _ Exhilarating.  _

You loved seeing him hurt. He reminded you so much of yourself, that useless piece of garbage part of you, and knowing you can inflict your pain unto him…

_ Uh-oh, spaghetti-o _ . You note the magic he throws at you. It’s not up to full like he usually has, but it’s fast enough that it grazes your arm. He chokes out a few words, but you can’t quite make them out. They’re too quiet, and overpowered by the sound of running water echoing through the cave.  

You adjust your shoes by dragging them on the ground. (Damn Blue couldn’t bother to be the same size as you, how horrible. You loved kicking people in the face with these shoes regardless.) If he wants a fight, then a fight it is. 

No blasters this time , you note. 

He throws a few blue attacks at you, and you run at him to dropkick. Bad idea, now that you think of it, but it’s fun to land on your ass as he sidesteps. Seeing this opportunity, you do a pose as you’re still on the ground.  Just like in my Japanese animes _. _

“what the hell?”

You make that same noiseless laugh, as before, and get up. It’s your turn again. Sans too confused by your endeavor that he nearly forgets you’re fighting him.

You stay your foot before it can hit him.

“... W… win,” you hiss, your voice stinging. You wince through your smile. “I… win.” Hopefully he gets your gist. You put your foot down.

He steps back, and you swear if “?!?” was a noise, Sans would be making it.

“Aren’t ready.” Your words shake, and they’re so quiet despite your best efforts. “Wait. Your time comes later, _ ”  _ you whisper. You stare at him, your eyes ready to assess any movement.

There is no movement, technically speaking. Sans does teleport away, but you can’t see it. It feels like blinking, but there’s the sound- that sound that you can’t put your finger on, but it reminds you of a light switch or a light bulb popping. The only thing left in his place is the smell of ozone.

This is going to be very interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yeah idk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as i said theres no consistency

That kid nearly killed me.

Holy  _ shit. _

You know, I don’t think I ever once heard them say something. Maybe I did, but the memories are all melded together and it’s hard to tell.

But  _ holy shit. _

Was that sparing me? Were they willing to let me live? What were they even thinking?

Why were they being so goofy about it, either?

 

You trudge on through the echo flowers. They’re all so quiet. You only hear a few whispers.

You wonder if monsters can bleed. You couldn’t ever find out, your attacks were too hard on them. Maybe if one stood still for long enough.

Click-click.

Here’s another target.

 

I made a mistake. I attacked too soon, and they could easily predict my actions. 

What if this wasn’t the first time? What if they knew how I attacked? They seemed to be assessing my actions by the way they looked at me, they told me I wasn’t ready. God. That voice. What a horrible voice- one marred by the dust they breathed in. It must hurt.

I balled my fists tighter in my jacket pockets. Everywhere was empty, emptier than usual. The sound of water echoed through this part of the cave, every part of the white noise was new but familiar.

I heard a scream in the distance.

Kid must’ve gotten another one.

I teleported near an echo flower that I’d saved for occasion. Nobody could get to it but me, and maybe any monster that could leap across a several meter wide chasm.

It was one of the only things I knew could keep the same message even across timelines, so I bothered to wait a few minutes for it to finally repeat whatever I’d said to it last.

“ _ frisk did good today. barrier’s broken. but i can’t help but shake the feeling that they’ll take us back any moment now.”  _ So that was their name. Frisk. 

It fills me with so much rage knowing they broke the barrier, but went back. Vague memories started to resurface, along with an anger I'd rather not express. Calm down, Sans. There must be a good reason.

I whisper to the plant.

“ _ last: frisk broke the barrier. now: they’re killing us all. there’s a pattern. i tried to stop them ‘early,’ they say.”  _ Hopefully next timeline, if there’s a next timeline, I’ll know what that means.

I try to find Undyne.

 

She’s up at the entrance to Hotland, standing in the middle of a tunnel.

I come up next to her on her good side. I don’t want to provoke her, or scare her. She’s awfully jumpy when she’s tense, especially when lives are on the line. This is probably the first time in a while that I’m determined to do something, since everything feels really off. 

“heya,” I greet.

Undyne flinches at the sudden sound of my voice, but sighs in relief when she sees it’s just me. “Thank God. I thought it was that little brat.”

“what? you must- never mind.” I don’t have time to make jokes. I’m about to say something but-

“Where’s Papyrus?”

I sigh. I don’t have lungs to sigh with but I still can make sighing noises. I give her the news. “dead. fr- kid killed ‘im.”

“That  _ little shit. _ ” 

Same here, bud. I’m barely keeping my act together as well. We stand awkwardly for a few moments.

“so. what happened to them?” I ask. If Undyne’s here, something must’ve happened. Maybe she’s looking for them or they ran off.

“I miscalculated.”

I take a guess as to what happened. “you mean you realized spears cut things?”

“More or less.” Bingo. “Come on, I need someone to watch my back.” She motions me to follow.

“so, uh, about that kid,” I say, keeping an eyesocket out for any suspicious figures. I adjust my hood so it’s easier to see, but I feel like I have blinders on. What are blinders, anyway? I’ve read them in books but I never got what that analogy was- only that it forced you to look forward. Anyways. Looking for the fucking asshole who killed my brother. Good times. 

“they- i tried to confront them earlier.”

Undyne nearly stops in her tracks. “What? And you lived?”

“weird, right? and… they talked.”

“What did they say?”

Suddenly, I get this eerie feeling. I don’t remember how I’m supposed to word this. “they more or less spared me, and said that- that i… i?”

“You what?”

“funny, i can’t remember,” I lie. “heat of the moment.” It’s harder to explain the predicament. 

Predicament being that I’m seemingly one of the only people who realizes that time is resetting.

“do you ever get deja vu when looking at them?” I ask. It’s not so subtle, but-

“Oh my God.”

“what?”

“You don’t… They’ve done this before, Sans,” she says. She looks ahead. “You don’t remember what happened last time?”

She knows. 

If I had a heart, it probably would have skipped a beat. I look down.

“They just- I can’t explain it right, but they’re restarting everything. Taking us back to the same day. I don’t know how or why or  _ when  _ but I just-”

I cut her off with a pained laugh. I’m not alone.  _ I’m not alone.  _ That’s a load off my back.

“Sans, are you okay?” She looks at me with concern, her eye telling a lot. 

“yeah. i thought i was the only one.”

I catch out of the corner of my eye something going on across the cave. Something’s on a bridge across a chasm- oh no.

“undyne. i think-”

“Oh no.”

Before I get a chance to stop her, she’s already off towards the human. 

I feel something weird, like a snap within me. Not physically, more like a weird shock from static electricity, and before I know it, Undyne’s dead.

I need to do something about this before it’s too late.

They get bored easily, maybe. Time stops doing the thing, and I see Undyne’s dust scatter across the floor. I get the heck out of dodge and teleport out to Hotland, in Alphys’ lab. 

“alphys!” I yell. I know she’s already- oh, there she is. She’s ushering out the last of the people who heeded the evacuation warning to an elevator. She takes one glance and jumps nearly out of her skin.

“S-Sans? I didn’t know you’d be here so quickly-” She cuts herself off, taking a deep breath. “I saw.” I know she did.

“how much?”

“I thought I was the only one, too,” she muttered. “They…”

“they brought us to the surface."

"I-I know."

“that’s all i can remember.”

“They’re- They're determined. They’re not just that- but… well, remember our research?”

Amalgamates? Determination? The Extractor? The… It kind of hurt to remember. Someone and  _ something _ else was there, but he isn’t important.

“there’s no way to stop them,” I say, shaking those thoughts out of my skull. 

“I know.”

We both look away in awkward silence. 

“get going. i’ll do what i can. something’s off.”


	3. Chapter 3

You hit the monster with a soft “thwack” with your frying pan, and they turn to dust almost instantly. You're reminded of a video you once saw, of skeet shooters making their mark on clay pigeons. The way the dust hits moves similar, but monsters don't shatter like clay. They shatter more like chalk or loosely-packed flour. 

The similarity between dust and other things is what keeps you from breaking down at this point. You mean, it's hard not to feel sick. Murder is just a concept. But dealing with the mildew-smell and the heaviness in your lungs as you inhale the remains of living beings… Your body can't help but react to it. It's annoying. It's the only thing reminding you of your sins as you commit to them.

You continue on to the core. Lowercase. It doesn’t have to be upper.

You practice a few swings as you trudge through the darkened caves. It smells like burning hair in here, thanks to the lava that heats the ground. Someone must’ve fallen in. The sandy dirt gets kicked up by a few of your steps, and some gets in your shoe. You stop to pull both shoes off and empty them. Can’t murder everyone with a shoe full of sand, that’s embarrassing.

You hear a few shuffly footsteps from behind. You acknowledge them, but who cares. Sand in your shoes is more important.

You know it’s Sans. You can’t mistake the sound of him walking even if you wanted to.

“Don’t _ ,”  _ you mumble.

You finish tying your shoe and turn around, frying pan in hand. You’re kind of tired, you’ll admit that. 

Shuffle shuffle. Snap. Nobody there to see. Still, behind you.

You drum your free hand on your leg. It’s become sort of a habit when you’re thinking.

“hey kid.” The voice comes from behind. This whole confrontationalism is uncharacteristic of him.

You really really hate this guy. This time around it’s starting to get annoying, even though this has never happened before.

“something’s been  _ brother _ ing me.” 

You know that if he was still cracking jokes, he must be  _ pissed as hell.  _ The sliding scale isn’t a 1-10, it’s a whole loop.

“word around is that you’ve been doing something to take us back in time.”

You turn around, gripping your weapon tighter. The uncomfortable and rusty metal handle digs into your hand. 

He doesn’t really have an expression to read. His hoodie obscures the top portion of his face.

It’s a little while before the silence is unbearable. You cough, more of a wheeze, but still.

“how come?” He shifts in place. “c’mon, kid. i know you talk.”

You shake your head. “Hurts. _ ” _

Communication isn’t your strong point even when you’re not muted by your own actions. You… You have a theory. Time to test it out.

You speak in hands, instead. You’re not good at it in the first place, and you tend to think quicker than you sign. It takes a lot of concentration.

_ Hurts to talk. Hurts to let us go. Want to stay here. _

You almost smile at how surprised he must be to know you can do this. Before, it was just inconvenient to use this, but now since you both can see each other clearly-

_ Doing this against my wish.  _ That’s a lie, a big fat lie. Hopefully, he buys it.

“then why don’t you try to stop it?” Sans hisses. Anger accentuates his voice nicely.

You ponder. There’s only so much you know how to say. _I don’t control the…_ You wave your hands, and shrug. You don’t know the word for it, so you fingerspell it. _R-E-S-E-T._ _I don’t do it._ That's also a lie. You need to stop.

You squint, noting that the comedian is not pleased with your answer.

“why don’t you stop it?” 

_ Can’t. _

You know, the first time he attacked you, it was unexpected only because you weren’t having a conversation first. Now, he’s just an angsty asshole who you know is going to be your enemy. It’s expected and unoriginal. You wish that laughing didn’t hurt.

Oh my god he’s crying that’s hilarious.

It’s hilarious because he doesn’t know this is all a really cruel prank- no, wrong timeline- this IS the prank. He’s crying because you reset only his memory. He has no idea the pain everyone is going through- you want to see everyone at their best again it’s so funny to see them cry for their love of their friends and

Oh. You’re rambling again.

How do skeletons cry, anyways? They don’t have organs or bodily fluids in the first place.

He initiates a FIGHT. You ready your weapon.

 

fuck

 

I want to ask them so many questions. I also want to kill them right now and here.

They smiled, like they were befo- like they should be. Not a creepy smile or a mean smile. They smiled at me with sickening kindness.

I hated them so much- they acted like all of this was a  _ game!  _ They didn’t truly care about me or Papyrus or Undyne or anyone they’d killed, they just...

I considered all of the options. 

I knew humans could live without hope and love. They had HOPE and LOVE, however. LOVE couldn’t be expressed positively like HOPE, but it was basically the same thing.

HOPE, you ask? It was what monsters could have as well. LOVE was just a precedence. HOPE could be gained just by will and

I don’t need to explain. You’ll get the gist eventually.

I mustered every ounce of HOPE in my body

and summoned a weapon.

 

You barely have time to react when he summons one of the blasters.

So  _ he was  _ ready.

It misses you, barely. You grit your teeth.

More important things on your mind- where did food go when Sans ate it? Papyrus, too. You always wondered. 

Funny, you could never actually focus seriously on the task at hand.

He musters enough magical energy to fire again. He’s in pain, you can tell just by how he shakes. 

You love it.

You die. 

You die again.

You’re tired of letting him win. So you whiff an attack, but you can’t hold all of your hate back. It’s enough to knock him out with the frying pan, however.

He falls over, his eye glow going out. If he does die after this, good for him.

It’d be a hell of a lot easier for both of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> frisk is a fucked up kid and so was i, huh


	4. Chapter 4

Onwards to the core.

MTT Resort is not empty- not all the ways. Two remain in the corridors, the underpaid fast food worker and someone locked in their room. You know they locked themselves in there to hide from you only because when you knock on the door enough times you can hear crying.

Too bad your LOVE doesn’t affect how strong you are compared to objects. You’d love to reenact that scene from that one movie you've never watched.

You threaten the guy- Burgerpants- to get a joke out of him as you order a few things. You laugh when he says he’s out of vacation days. It’s absurd, but not unrealistic. He probably really hates his boss. You may not have been in his shoes, but you understand completely.

“Can kill him,” you offer. “He dies easily.” Your raspy voice makes him sweat. He hands over a bag of Large Heroes with shaky hands. 

“N-no- I mean he’s annoying, but why would I want-”

“Underpaid. Unappreciated. Unnoticed. Sad and isolated from your dreams. It's plenty reason.” You fish out a heaping handful of gold. “I’ll do it anyways. Even pay  **you** for it." To be honest, you just loved killing things. Plus, money makes no difference in this timeline. He won't have a chance to use it. "You’re welcome.” You stand on your tiptoes to place the large amount of gold in his hands. 

You sometimes forget how small you are- it’s so strange. This is the same you that can delete worlds- and here you are, ordering fast food and being a tiny little kid. How old were you in September of that- no, this year?

You don’t remember, but it puts things in perspective. Why people don’t see you as you  _ really  _ are until you begin this path again.

You leave the restaurant with the paper bag in your grip, the light grease creating an uncomfortable sensation on your hand. What you thought of earlier- it really sticks with you. How old were you then? You count on your fingers, recollecting the previous timelines…

You suppose by all the different outcomes added together, you’re technically twenty-something. Time flies when you’ve sold your soul and stuff like that. Still, you’re only, what, twelve? You wonder if this is how it feels to grow up.

You hear a low buzzing over the intercom as you walk into the core. It’s either a technical error or in your head. Though, it slowly turns into laughing.

Laughing.

How typical. You scoff and glare  towards one of the many security cameras. 

The intercom buzzes- no, beeps (if a beep and a buzz made the same noise…?) a low tone again, signaling a message.

“You walked right into my trap,” Mettaton purrs. “Any moment now, the CORE will explode, and you with it!”

Well.

If that weren’t a big fat lie if you knew it. Risk the Underground’s only power source for one child? Unreasonable. So you go further. You know he doesn’t have the heart to blow up a building he’s in. He’s not ready to die. 

It gets darker. They must have powered the entire building down. You can feel the air getting stuffy, from the lack of conditioning. Oh no, your only weakness, how could they have known, etcetera. That was only light sarcasm. It’s hard for you to breathe. You’ll have to bear this condition- even with the ozone creeping upwards. Only way you can continue.

Mettaton’s voice comes up again. “You’re very determined! I admire that!”

You don’t really care what he thinks.

“You know, Alphys told me a few things about you.” Don’t care. “She said you did a lot of bad things. She said you, by far- hey! I’m not done talking to you!”

You just decide to walk faster towards your destination to spite him.

He throws another few gloating phrases and show-offy traps. You evade them with ease. New but old. Already know the answer to the variable. Tiring. Predictable. Is this how Flowey feels?

 

* * *

* * *

 

I wake up with a face full of dirt and a head full of hurt. The kid knocked me out pretty good. I’m surprised I even survived.

I sit up and rub the back of my skull. No dust. That’s good. It’d save a lot of trouble and healing magic, and I’m pretty sure I’m too tired to expend that much energy on myself. 

I see the Core in the distance. See. Not hear. I can’t hear it. Either I was knocked deaf or something’s gone terribly wrong.

Shuffling to my feet, (shuffling, still can hear) I brush myself off and find a shortcut that takes me to the Core. The inside is dark. The air is mixing with ozone and if I had lungs I’d be suffocating. This isn’t the case, though, but…

There’s dust everywhere.

So many monsters.

There’s footprints through the glittering piles, kicked up areas of- I need to lie down. I just need to lie down and wake up from whatever nightmare this is. 

I have to keep moving. I have to. For Papyrus. For Undyne. For all of the monsters this kid killed. I can’t afford to not care.

If this kid had broken the barrier and freed us all, why in the hell would they go back to kill us in the first place? I can’t wrap my head around what they signed.  _ I don’t control the RESETS. Hurts to let us go. Want to stay here.  _ What happened last timeline? Did something go wrong? 

If they aren’t the one causing the resets, then who? What? 

It’s important that I keep moving.

I hear music in the distance. Loud, blaring bass and guitars- and it cuts off, abruptly. I run towards the source.

 

More dust. Sort of a rusty red. Kicked up, fresh. It’s still settling, the strobe lights and theatrics in this room help accentuate that. I look ahead- There’s an elevator door that’s closing, and I see a demon inside.

Never was a kid.

I shouldn’t have made that promise.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things start getting really weird

You hate this ending. You hate this fight. It’s boring and you’re bad at it and the only reason you can get through it anymore is from the thousands of mistakes you’ve learned from.

You know, the first time you did this, it was curiosity. You’d never fought Sans before then. You’d wondered how much he could take. You’d wondered how much he could give. 

It’s kind of pathetic that you let yourself do this, still. Why are you continuing to do the things you loathe? Are you sadomasochistic garbage? Maybe. That’s one theory. Another theory is that you aren’t really in the mood to question your own motivations.

Flowey’s nowhere to be seen as you make it through New Home. You thought he’d be here by now, this was the plan.

Instead you have to go looking for him,

* * *

snas  
  


New Home is more empty than anywhere else. It’s usually so crowded and full of monsters who didn’t want to leave each other, but now…

It’s so quiet. So barren. Grey and featureless.

It makes me feel so unimportant.

I search desperately for another shortcut. Around any corner, any place to step through and make it to Asgore before it’s too late,  _ anything- _

There’s a single flower growing out of the dirt.

That wasn’t there before. 

It moves- turns around. 

“There you are!” 

It has a face.

And can speak.

What a small shock.

It’s stuttering and its cartoony face accentuates its distress. “I-I’ve been looking for you, Sans. I need- I need your help! I-”

“what,” I bark. Bark. That’s a funny word. Fits.

“Chara- They’re going to- They’re!” It’s crying.

I feel kind of bad, but I have places to be. “i’m going to stop them,” I say. Memories start coming back. I stop in my tracks and realize something.

That flower.

He’s killed me and everyone else far more times than the kid has. He’s broken the Underground and done almost everything imaginable to us- He’s got more room for LOVE than anyone else! 

I turn my head to look back at him. “you’ve killed them before, right? what’s stopping you now?”

What  _ is  _ stopping him now? He looks at me, stupified. God. If I could ever remember the faces from previous timelines… He looks so familiar, but this is suredly the first time I’ve ever seen him in this timeline.

“Chara… They’re too strong.”

“have you tried hating them?”

“Yes.”

“hate them more.”

“They’ll kill me anyways.”

“use that to fuel your anger. stop being such a little shit and do something that’ll help us for a change. you care about your life, don’t you?”

The flower breaks eye contact with me. He looks like a child being scolded. He practically is. “I…” The inflection tells me he doesn’t care. I’m right there with him, but.

“you might not want to live, kid, but you  _ need  _ to. you’re the only thing left if i don’t make it. i know asgore can’t fight them. and i…. you're a vessel. i helped make you. do what vessels do. take the soul when you're done. get to the surface."

The flower hesitates, and thinks.

“Sans," he stutters. He thinks some more. I don’t have time for this. 

* * *

flowey????  
  


This is a dilemma. 

I know they’ll kill me. They’ve killed Sans before, I can tell just by the way they expect his attacks. I can tell a lot about them. This is not their first run. This is not their first time doing this.

I’ve noticed a constant. I don’t remember much, but I do remember this.

Nobody ever made the effort to spare them.

I don’t really care that much about Chara, I really don’t. But I care for my own survival. I’m one of the idiots living in this world, and I don’t want it erased. Not yet. There’s still so much I’ve got to do. And they’re not going to get in the way.

The only way to stop them is to give them a chance.

They said once, I think, that Sans, he betrays them if they accept his so-called mercy. They say that was the final straw, and that nobody had redemption if they couldn’t let them redempt themselves. That… I don’t understand the logic behind it, either. 

But I know there was one monster that could’ve given them that chance.

* * *

frisk again..............  
  


“that look on your face…” Sans says, looking you up and down. “you’re kind of a freak, huh?” Yes. Stop talking. 

You hear a voice from behind him. By process of elimination, it’s Asgore’s. You don’t have to guess what happened. Sometimes Flowey wasn’t a baby at the end of these runs. Sometimes he was. 

_ Then there were three, _  you sign.  _ You sure you want to fight?  _

The thing about skeletons, it’s hard to read them, even when you’ve known them for so long. 

Sans stands there, not answering.

_ SANS?  _ you spell out. You wave.

Nothing.

There’s a silence that creeps over everything.

“i’ve been thinking a bit.” A pause. “you’ve done this before, right? what’s the point?”

You don’t know, you don’t care.

“why would you waste your time doing this over and over again?”

Because it’s fun.

“i kind of realized after you knocked me out, you don’t have anything to gain. nothing to lose, either. so.”

You thank your lucky stars your reaction time is so quick. Blasters fire every which ways, and you jump out of the way just in the nick of time.

“is this what you really want?”

Those words bite like daggers.

You see someone from behind Sans. It distracts you, momentarily, and it almost gets you killed. Pure, concentrated magic fires at you, burning your left side pretty badly. You wince, hissing through your teeth.

“Sans!” a voice interrupts. You barely recognize it as Flowey’s. 

He doesn’t stop attacking. Blasters overpower yelling, your thoughts, and the skeleton’s voice. He must have realized. He must know how horrible you are.

“Sans!” Another voice joins. You know this voice, you recognize it from a distant memory.

You feel faint. You can’t stand. You can’t stand to not be able to stand. And you really don’t care for this sappy bullshit. The whole world starts to fade, but yet, your soul stays together. 

“Chara! You have to stay determined!”

“Chara… I’m sorry, Chara.”

Every sound blurs into one. You don’t know where you are. You can feel movement, light brushes and large paws holding you, but everything is so dim.

Alphys’ voice comes into your hearing, muffled. “We can just take their soul, get this all over with! And- and you want me to save them from- from dying, even after all they’ve done to us?”

Someone. Your best friend. “...They’d do the same for me.”

Silence.

Someone. The judge. “... are you sure?” 

You’re overcome with the sound of rushing water, kind of like if you fell into a roaring ocean. Your lungs ache, but everything else is numb. You can’t feel a thing, and considering your state… you’re glad for it. You once thought that the painlessness was worrying.

 

You open your eyes. 

You recognize this place. 

You’ve seen it before. You’ve been here before. It smells like a hospital, clean and sterile, but you sense despair around you. The lights were off, and you squinted in the dim light. Someone must have cleaned the place up, because what was once dim and stained walls, dirty counters, and broken glass was now empty and scrubbed clean. 

Maybe a Woshua was here. Wait.

No, you killed them all. There were only five you knew of.

You note you’re sitting in a proper bed, hooked up to some sort of machine. You could tell it was supposed to show your vitals, but it didn’t seem quite right. One of the monitors didn’t show anything. You consider pulling out the needles and taking off the various electrodes, but something tells you to stay. 

You also noticed you weren’t in your dusty clothes anymore. Your striped sweater was replaced with a patient’s gown. Your left arm- your whole left side, it was covered in bandages. Your wounds felt a little better since the initial pain, but you knew that even healing magic couldn’t fix something like the burns received from Sans’ attacks. Especially on humans. You recalled a moment on the surface in one of the other timelines- never mind. Those never happened. It was best to cast the memories aside.

You sit up, taking a deep breath.

You still have monsters to kill. 

But…

This is the first time anyone’s done this.

Right?

You have a chance to kill people I always got to first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> youll notice the true lab concept gets reused in a lot of these so


	6. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> really weird  
> i realized halfway thru copypasting the last chapter that putting pov tags would probably be helpful

sans

I can’t believe they’d even let them live. 

I really should’ve just finished the job. But the king and the flower arrived, and I can’t stand to hurt people when anyone’s watching. It feels weird. It feels… bad.

I watch Frisk on the camera monitor. They sit on the edge of the bed, staring all around them. What’s stopping them from leaving? They look at their arm, and they hold the life monitors in them by the cord- oh no. Kid. Don’t take those out. 

They don’t. They stare at their arm for a little bit, then turn their head to the camera. Their eyes reflect red in the dim light, kind of like a monster’s. I don’t think that’s normal for humans, though. 

Alphys comes up behind me. “Sans, you need to sleep. They’re- oh my god.” She catches sight of what’s going on. “When did they wake up?”

About five minutes ago. “just now,” I say. Close enough.

She mutters what’s probably a swear under her breath. 

“alphys, remember earlier, when undyne told me that this wasn’t the first time?” I asked. It was rhetorical. “you saw how shocked i was, right?”

“Y-Yeah, I was, too. I thought I was the only one who knew this was happening.”

“well… i didn’t actually know for sure.”

“What?” I wasn’t looking at her, I was still watching Frisk, but I knew she must’ve been pretty surprised to hear that. 

“look. it’s only a matter of time before we’re all dead or the kid resets again, so i guess there isn’t a point in keeping it a secret. i’m going off of what my equipment tells me. i don’t know anything until i get readings, or bits of memory left over from other timelines.”

“Why would-”

“you saw what i did to them. i think they know i’d be pretty angry if i knew what they took away from us. i mean, i do. but i don’t.”

Alphys turns silent. 

The kid figures out that the vitals machine has an extension cord, and walks across the room. They search the cabinets. Thank God I emptied them, just in case they woke up. 

Alphys and I don’t speak for what feels like forever. Then, “From what Flowey told me, I think there’s a way to convince them to stop doing this.” She sounds a bit scared. 

A vague inclination of what was to happen next is what stops her. "don't get near them," I said.

"What?"

I drummed my fingers on the desk. "there's enough furniture in there for an improvised weapon. i wouldn't even go in there with a full suit of armor, they've got a high enough LV to erase reality by just sneezing at it."

Alphys watched the monitor over my shoulder. "You still have the Reader, don't you?" She seemed… disappointed.

"yeah. can't take it out even if i tried." I tapped the right side of my skull. It was rooted to my physical form and practically an extension of my body at this point. I couldn't take it out even with assistance.

Frisk tried peering out the mirror-sided window, cupping their free hand around their eye. They seemed displeased with the fact they only had a limited view confined to the room.

The lights flickered back to life within the Lab. 

Alphys looked up. "Oh, good, someone must've gotten the Core back online." She motioned me to move over, grabbing a chair from another desk. "We should probably check who. Keep an eye on Chara."

She didn't know their name. Well, it might as well be Chara, whoever that is. This place was beginning to fill up with dead kids.

Frisk had been startled by the lights coming on, and was sitting on the floor covering their good eye. They seemed to be in a bit of pain- come on, kid, it's only fluorescent lighting, not an LED flashlight. 

* * *

frick

Oh God, the pain of bright lights! So horrible! Unimaginable! You've been with them all your life, dummy! Get up!

You were only surprised, that's all. You wipe the tears from your eye as you stand back on your feet, and dust yourself off. 

The sound of an intercom crackling to life gets your attention. "oh, good, i thought it killed you," Sans says. "we need to talk."

You search for the security camera. and make an uncomfortable amount of eye contact with it. You sign. " _ What? _ "

No response. " _ What?"  _ You sign again, this time harder.

"well, first, how are you feeling?"

You smile. " _ I feel like I've been spared." _

"yeah, we all do." Muttering away from the microphone was heard. You could make out Alphys' voice. "we, uh, have another question."

" _ Yes?" _

"what's your name?"

You pause.

You're not entirely sure. You could be Frisk, or you could be an amalgamation of Chara and Frisk, or you could have been Chara all along. You ponder that, and begin to pace.

* * *

sans

...Do they seriously not know their own name?

They paced around the room, hand to their chin in thought. They looked to the camera and back, eyes still glowing red despite the light. It was unnerving. Both the response, and their eyes, I mean. 

I knew this kid was Frisk. There was no mistaking it- who else had that power? Why would I keep telling myself, reset after reset, that they were Frisk? There was only one human to my knowledge. 

Maybe that lingering feeling of doubt was the same they had. There could be another. Same body, different minds. Different timelines. Both intertwined. A good theory, but it's still a little shaky.

" _ Call me Chara for now." _

"alright, sure do. another question. you're a time traveler, right?"

They grin widely, giving two thumbs up. They sign yes with both hands.

I turned to Alphys again, letting go of the intercom button. "they, uh… seem really proud of that."

"No shit. What's next?"

"well, i'll ask them."

I turned the intercom back on. "how much do you know about what's been going on?"

They look to their hands, still smiling, counting on their fingers in an odd way. They held up 3 fingers and their thumb, skipping their left ring finger and thumb. 

"four?"

They shook their head, pointing to their pinky. They tapped their foot once. Pointing to their middle finger- four taps.

The counting method felt incredibly familiar. Papyrus counted strangely as well- he'd skip numbers on his fingers and it would confuse everyone. Was it… "wait, in binary?"

They nodded, holding their original hand configuration up again. It was... 45. 45 what?

"45 what? what is it counting?"

They nodded excitedly, smiling. " _ It's years, dummy!" _

45 whole years. That'd make me 70-something. Them, probably 57. So many years. I turned the intercom off, and stood up.

"put me on speed dial."

Walking away felt way harder than it physically was.


	7. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HEY GHOST??????? CONSISTENT POV????????? TENSE??????????????? WHAT????????????? PLEASE????????????

FRISK

No more response. No more questions. Just silence. You stared into the camera. Was he that mad? What was his problem?

Maybe it was the fact that it was binary that shocked him. Papyrus counted that way because it was efficient. You just liked doing it because you hated signing huge numbers. It got really confusing. With a ten-bit string, you could signify far more than two-four-nine-eight or one-two-one-thirty with a series of glimpses. You could show the number whole.

But 45 years was nothing to you. The days were like sand. They fell through your hands like nothing. There was no keeping them. Not even when the memory was important.

It was best to distance yourself.

Maybe Alphys was still watching. Maybe not. Maybe she was outside the window. Or maybe she was gone with him. Or maybe they were waiting for you to continue. 

You started pacing again.

Where was Flowey, either? Where was anyone? This wasn't how you envisioned it. You thought it'd just be an ending where you took everyone by surprise and killed them while they surrounded your bed trying to wake you up, and that you'd have a dramatic final parting with the hate in your heart. Or something.

No, not all of life would be like your first drafts. Sometimes endings were messy, long, and difficult to parse. Sometimes they'd happen because you were bored. Other times you'd just have to go, never a warning, never a single goodbye.

Not all endings were made equal. But each of them were interesting to consider.

Should you sleep on this? Yes. Should you consider the problems at hand? Yes, too. Would it be dangerous to let them see you at your most vulnerable? Perhaps.

You looked back to the camera one last time. " _ I'm tired. I'm going to sleep." _ You sign carefully, and walk back to your bed. Maybe after clearing your mind with sleep, you'd find the path you're supposed to take.

* * *

SAND

As I reached outside the Lab, Alphys had already texted me. 

_ They went to sleep what do i do _

Sleeping? That's unusual. I texted back.

_ what do you mean _

A brief pause.

_ They said they were tired and just climbed back on their bed. _

_ What's wrong anyways _

If she only knew. Well, if she could know. If she could comprehend. Anything. I started walking again. Maybe a stroll to my house and back would help.

_ well i may be overreacting _

_ but 45 years is probably a long time to be redoing the same week _

I kicked a pile of pebbles.  _ do you think they counted like that on purpose? _

_ Idk. They seem to really dislike you, I guess. _

_ 'dislike' is barely touching the surface. _

_ I'm guessing killing your brother is just the start of it. _

I chuckled. It was good to find humor in your own misfortune. Just… forget about the fact that it worries you. It's a terrible way of coping, but is necessary.  _ 45 years can be allocated in a lot of ways. we could've been secure for years.  _

_ they just took it all away, didn't they? _

I'd already taken a shortcut through to the border between Snowdin and Waterfall. I'd be passing my house if I didn't pay attention. But it was where he died. It was kind of gut-wrenching.

Alphys texted again.  _ I'll ask them that, if you want. _

Maybe.

* * *

wow im not even going to put a tag here

Frisk smiled.

Alphys froze up. 

" _ I know what you've done."  _

Know what? What did they know? Were they talking about the Amalgamates? The magic experiments? Low-level necromancy? There was so much they could've known. They were bluffing, right?   
" _ The AMALGAMS. FLOWEY. You lied to all of them." _

She barely realized she had grabbed the microphone. "W-Why should I listen to you? You're- You're in no position to be judging me-"

A tilt of their head. Smile. Chuckle. Full-hearted laugh. " _ You seriously believe I am worse than you?" _

She waved her tail, trying to think of a response. They had gotten to Sans like this. Did they just know everything about everyone? What was their plan?

She needed to keep her cool. Deep breaths. One, two, three. It's fine. Everything's fine. You're in control, Alphys.

So… "How much do you know about us?"

They started tapping their foot. They thought about it, until they began to pace- their telltale sign that they were really thinking this over. Or maybe they were bored. Or maybe just… restless. That, too. They came up with a response.

" _ I've lived with ASGORE, TORIEL, FLOWEY, SANS, PAPYRUS, ALPHYS, UNDYNE for -"  _ The sign was unknown- she'd have to go over with Sans. " _ -years first time."  _ Another unknown sign- "  _ \- years second time. RESET was an accident then. Then got bored. Then we started 'murder'. _ "

"'We'?" 

" _ Complex. Boring. Insignificant." _ They smiled. " _ But 'murder' is recent. Do not worry. I will RESTART when I am done looking for what I need."  _

Cryptic and vague- Alphys' two favorite words. Why did everything with magic have to be like this? Why did anything remotely unexplainable with modern science have to be referred to in vague "we don't know it's just how it works" bullshit?

"What  _ do  _ you need?"

They stared blankly at the camera. " _ Only SANS can tell you." _

"Does he know that you need him?"

" _ I tried many RESET but he wouldn't say. It's about the experiments. You're forgetting someone." _

_ " _ Who?"

_ "Only SANS can tell you. _ "

~~SERIOUSLY WHY~~

Sans poured himself a coffee. Then Alphys one. "what's bugging you? you look annoyed."

She noted she was tapping her tail on the ground again. "Chara."

He set the mug down in front of her. "they get to you too?"

She considered the drink, but refrained. "They… said you had something to say about the experiments we did."

He pulled out a chair and sat down. "well, what about it? i mean, they were fucked up, but i dunno what they'd want  _ me  _ to say."

She had to get her tail under control. "They said 'You're forgetting someone.'"

Sans' eyelights went out. God, it was creepy. "who?"

Was Chara right? He was keeping a secret? But… why? Was it relevant to the research?

"alphys, who? did they name him?"

She stared blankly. She didn't know. It was so terrible, being uncertain. "It's… I don't know who they're talking about." 

"... shit." Raising a skeletal hand to his face, he sighed and sat back. "shit. it's him. of course it's him." 

"Sans, who?"

"the previous royal scientist. my dad. his name is w.d. gaster."


	8. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ok something happened where i tried to extend this but it didnt work so have this weird thing about gaster that was apparently edited in when i wasnt looking. thats where the weird pov came from. it was me. future ghost. recent future ghost. im an idiot

FRICSKS???!?!?!

You sat uncomfortably in the metal chair where the camera was set up. It was boring enough that they had blocked you in with the dumb energy barriers that killed you every time you tried to go through them. It was even more boring that it was becoming an interview game. You wanted action. Excitement. Death. If this was the special ending, it probably wasn't worth all this bullshit.

On the other side of the thick plastic glass were Alphys and Sans. They looked about as uncomfortable as they could get. Acting like you were going to kill them both with a glance. You patted the desk with your palms, getting impatient. Too many papers. Too much equipment. You weren't a lab rat.

Sans sat down first, and began to sign. His form was aggressive and clear. Either he was angry or rusty at the signs. You really never knew how he signed, actually. Papyrus was the one who taught you how to speak in hands. He was more interested in teaching you, anyway. Sans was just… distant.

" _ HOW DO YOU KNOW THE MAN WHO SPEAKS IN HANDS? _ " He didn't look too happy.

You scoff. Of course Alphys asked him. " _ How do YOU know him?" _

" _ WHY SHOULD I SAY" _

You folded your arms and gave him a look. 

" _ HE IS DEAD TWELVE YEARS" _

Sure.

" _ YOU CANNOT KNOW HIM." _

You unfold your arms. " _ I saw him. He isn't dead." _

He slams his hands on the table. "He's dead!" he shouts. It's the first time you've heard his voice so loud. It startles Alphys, and she drops the clipboard she was holding. His hands, shaky, form… " _ I SAW HIM DIE. _ "

If he was going to get overemotional like this the entire time, you'd redact your previous statement. This would get very interesting.

" _ The CORE. The EXTRACTOR. The MACHINE. Tell me the full story, so I know. I will bring us back after. It is only curiosity." _

Alphys and him converse between each other, inaudible through the glass. 

You're getting impatient.

Sans looks back to you. " _ FINE BUT DO NOT EXPECT ME TO TELL YOU ALL" _

* * *

**O H A STORY,**

Gaster was a scientist who had lived far, far before the War. He was a ghoul- a monster who was between corporeal and intangible. A variant type D, as they were later to be called by the medical community. He grew up a physician.

He had survived the fight between monsters and humans, and was sealed away underground with them.

For a time, his innovations were what saved the Underground. The CORE provided energy, and with energy came food for monsters. With food, the Underground would not starve, and could flourish.

In the two hundred years before the first human fell, Wingdings was researching the Barrier. He believed that there was a way past it- if only there was enough information. He tried many things, all of which approved by the king and queen.

It wasn't until the first human fell that Gaster had realized his mistake. He was developing so many weapons and destructive things to try and get back at humanity had he finally cracked the code.

But a child reminded him. Humans were just as vulnerable and ignorant of their actions as monsters. The fallen human insisted, though, that all of humanity was evil. He was conflicted.

The human was determined to make him figure out a way past the Barrier, so they could help monsterkind kill the inhabitants of the Overworld. They went to great lengths- even trying to sacrifice their soul! Reality itself! He became ever doubtful of his own research. He wouldn't admit it, but he was afraid. If one human could be this passionate, then what would the rest of humanity say once they found out? Was it worth breaking the world?

He told them no. It was dangerous. There would be a safer way.

He didn't know the child would kill themself.

He didn't know humans would kill their brother.

Two children, their lives taken because of his doubt.

The king fell into a depression soon after. The queen left, and the Underground was in despair.

Asgore ordered Gaster to continue research on the Barrier. On the weapons. No matter the cost. He would have his revenge on humanity.

Gaster would as well. He knew better, now.

Two years later, the second human fell. They were a child, younger than the last. More patient than the last. Was willing to hide as long as it took. However, Gaster was good at finding. 

He killed them without thinking.

 

Humans were strange. Their souls remained, but their bodies did not turn to dust. They turned to dust over their entire lifetimes, constantly flaking off until they died and decomposed. Their bodies were strange. They were controlled not by magic but by chemical reaction and electricity.

He'd considered it before, but now, Gaster was especially intrigued. What would happen if a human body was controlled by a monster's soul?

 

He researched souls. There were many ways a monster could create offspring- one of them by combining pieces of each other's souls, and feeding it magical energy over time. What would happen if he harbored that soul within the body of a human? It'd be strange to think it'd be impossible. It was only a theory.

What he didn't expect, though, was the soul to burn the remaining energy of the body, and leave behind a skeleton. That, of course, was almost unprecedented.

The skeleton that remained animated with a fully-formed soul. No memories, no clue, no thoughts. He barely understood how to speak. Gaster was going to consider the skeleton a failure. But as time progressed, he realized. The creature wasn't stupid. Just young.

How could he have not realized?   
  


The months afterward, the creature began to form a curious personality, one that was cleverer than Gaster had imagined. He was called "Sans", and showed great promise both magically and mentally. He was smart, and had abilities on par with the man who created him.

It was his idea, not Gaster's, to test the Barrier with his matter-based form. There were concerns, at first. But of course, he was already a magical juggernaut and could probably take a horde of humans in one blow. There was little need for doubt.

And then… something terrible happened. Sans fell down, only for a moment, his connection with his creator severed by the Barrier. 

He couldn't leave.

 

After three more years, another human fell. Gaster realized he'd need backups. But internally… he had other plans. He was beginning to understand the concept of a "family." His "son" was a part of him, and he was a part of Gaster as well. The second formed without incident.

 

and then i stopped writing because i hate myself


	9. and this is the actual original end, 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and it comes to a bittersweet close and i get hooked on angst

“I’m going to see if he wants to talk to them. Text me if anything goes wrong.” 

Nothing does, not for the next fifteen minutes. Wait, no. That insinuates what happens next does go wrong. No. That also insinuates that things  _ don’t  _ go wrong- well. You get the picture. Things happen.

The kid stares at the camera some more. They’re quite expressionless, but I know they can tell someone’s watching. Maybe they know it’s me. Maybe they don’t. 

I want to say that their eyes glowing like that is kinda creepy, but it’s normal in the Underground. Most monsters’ eyes reflect light like that. But i’ve never seen it on a human. Well. I’ve never "seen" a human. I’ve heard about humans, some coming to the Underground, but never seen one in person. Or in pictures. Or live video.

Flowey and Alphys enter the room. Alphys reluctantly stays, she says some things and I wish that there was an audio function on these old things. But there isn’t. Five years can make a difference in technology. I wish that I didn’t know what happened here, before. Before before. What made this lab clear for the Amalgamations in the first place. 

But that’s another matter.

It seems like Frisk doesn’t really do anything. Alphys leads them back into bed, Flowey talks to them and the conversation seems a bit one-sided. The kid just stares blankly at both of them. 

I wish I was there, but I… I’m honestly afraid of the kid. I don’t know if they want to kill me, still. 

After a little bit, they sign something. The angle of the camera makes it hard to tell what. Alphys’ eyes widen, and she takes out her phone.

 

Alphys. “ _ wants to talk to you. _ ”

I text back.

“ _ ask them why. _ ”

Alphys looks at the camera, then back to her phone.

“ _ you think it’s a trap?” _

“ _ just ask them. _ ”

She asks them, maybe.

The kid looks to the camera. The light’s on, now, but their eyes are still glowing. Okay. Definitely not normal.

They sign. They knew it was me behind the camera- no, they just figured it out. I’m so dumb.

_ Fine.  _

_ Forgive me. _

They turn away, and look to Flowey. He looks frightened, and-

They kill Alphys, using the monitor as a bludgeon. Flowey tries to attack them with what magic he has, and-

He’s dead, too. Dust litters the room.

Where’s the maglock controls. There has to be maglock controls, I  _ specifically told  _ her the kid should’ve been put in the room that could be locked remotely.

Why couldn’t have we made these computers with a mouse. The keyboard feels like it’s going to break under the pressure I’m using to type.

Maglock. I type in the password.  _ mewmewcut1e.  _ Wrong one. God damn it. Another.  _ password _ . Right. Alphys couldn’t have changed it. It seals shut. I switch to the camera window again.  

They try the door, and start pounding their fists on it. I can hear the rattling metal from down the hallway. Then they try breaking the window. Sorry, kid. It’s not glass. It’s reinforced plastic.

There’s only so much I can do from afar. 

I don’t know where Asgore is. He said he had some business to attend to, making sure that the survivors got home safely. Things like that were important for him. But he couldn’t…

Maybe he knew, too.

Maybe he knew that Frisk was going to try and kill him.

  
  


Time passes. Frisk stops banging on the door and sits against it, getting quiet. I don’t know what they’re planning. Their face contorts and I can tell they’re a bit upset.

I’m not going in there. It’s too risky.

I knock on the plexiglass, getting their attention. I’m greeted back with thrown furniture. I jump back reflexively.

I don’t know what to say to them.

“You!” they hiss.

I shrug. “me.”

They’re… crying. Tears run down their face. They look exhausted, and I can relate. They probably have given up as much as I have. “You won’t… You never give me a chance.” Then they begin to sign. “ _ When I kill people. Everyone else forgives.” _

How could I? They killed my brother, my friends, more than half of the Underground, I’m not going to just let them get off with a slap on the wrist. “well. i wouldn’t give me a chance if i did all that.” I motion the piles of dust in their room with a nod. 

I see it on their face, they’re really good at expressing things without talking. That’s not the point they were making. They just want to push everyone to their limits. Memory or no.

“and… i wouldn’t give myself a chance if i were like you. i don’t see people as toys.”

They wipe their nose on their free arm, breathing heavily. 

“you can reset if you want. i’m not gonna stop you. i can’t stop you, anyways, if i tried.” I grab one of the chairs sitting about in the hallway, and sit down. 

Their eyes are glowing, still. It’s weird. I don’t like it. After a minute, their breathing starts to slow. Maybe they’re calming down. They look away from me, and hug their arms. 

They’re still a kid. But I can’t fall for any act.

“you done?” I ask.

They laugh in response. Their grimace is cracked by a smile, and they run their hand through their hair. Their injured hand opens and closes in nervousness. They laugh some more. It’s a sob, almost, and I feel kind of bad for them. Tears run down their face.

They look to me, with the most genuine, heartache-filled grin I’ve ever seen. 

“I’m… Have you heard of the kid... who got their left side burnt off?” They ask, their voice croaking. 

Are they joking?

“D-Don’t… Don’t worry, they’re all right now.” They chuckle. “I made myself a pun!” They laugh some more. “Like... your name! Your name… is Sans, and- and you don’t have anything! You’re nothing! You’re a- a joke! A comic too!” They mess their hair as tears run down their face.

I would laugh. I could laugh. 

Nobody’s laughing but them.

They continue joking about our misfortunes.

“Oh, and there’s the lady who was too determined… her name was Un-dyin’... A teacher who realized things at a snail’s pace…  And! You know what your brother- he said, when his head fell off, ‘Alas, poor Papyrus!’ He saw the chance, and…” Their smile fades, and they look down, more crestfallen. “I… I see now.” They sit down on the floor. “I...”

After all they’ve done… They  were making jokes to cope. I understood that.

Maybe they could be redeemed. Maybe with a little help. I don't know. 

They cough. “I’m… I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me- or them. I only wanted to see if there was another way out. Everyone will be okay. Just… not me. Not them.” 

I don’t really want to talk. I don’t want to ask questions.

“I mean that, the only way out of the Underground is through Asriel, and… I wanted to see if I could bring a couple more people with. But I can’t resolve those problems. I don’t have the power.” Frisk looks to me, their eyes… 

Aren’t glowing. Not in the same way.

“I’ll reset. I can try to make you remember, if you want.”

I don’t think I want to, but… It seems fair. This is something that I  _ should _ remember, even if it’s not what I want to. I shrug. “alright.”

“You sure?”

I lean forward. “yeah. i’m sure.”

“It might hurt. Hold on.” They take a deep breath, and-

 

_ Don’t worry. This is all just a bad dream... _

_ And you’re going to wake up. _

I jolt out of bed. My regular, messy, crumb-filled bed. No dust. No aching scores on my bones. 

I turn on the lights. Everything’s how I left it.

It’s still nighttime, or at least, early morning. I can tell that by how dark it is. It’s a different kind of dark than the regular dark of the Underground.

I go downstairs. In the kitchen is Papyrus, making breakfast spaghetti. “Good morning, Sans!” he greets. “Wait. You’re out of bed early. Too early, even for you! Who are you, and what have you done with my brother??” he jokingly asks. I don’t respond, and he takes a more serious tone. “...What’s wrong?”

I sit down at the table. Things… could be okay. Maybe Frisk could hold a promise. “Nothing, bro. I just had a feeling today is gonna be a good day.”

 


End file.
